Vineyards and olive groves: Castelnuovo dell'Abate seen from Sant'Antimo

Castelnuovo dell'Abate is one of Montalcino's beautiful small villages that most people only see from afar when visiting Sant'Antimo abbey. It's time you took a closer look. The medieval village is alive and kicking and its inhabitants are proposing village feasts (in this case called Festa Campagnola) that are always fun to join.

CASTELNUOVO DELL'ABATE, SUNDAY, 12th of May - FESTA CAMPAGNOLA

9am opening of the food stalls (and remember it's totally acceptable to accompany your second breakfast with a glass of wine in Tuscany)

but make sure you leave some room for lunch at 12.30 pm

at 4 pm dance it all off with the Ballo del Trescone (Montalcino's folk music group)

at 6 pm try and win a prosciutto, Pecorino cheese or Tuscan salami during the TOMBOLA GASTRONOMICA

at 8 pm join everybody for dinner (better eat some more after all that wine)

at 9.30 check whether you can still stand on your feet and - if yes - dance along (or in the contrary case just hum along) to the tunes of Luca e la sua fisarmonica (Luca and his accordion).

And don't even think of suing me for the headache the day after!

Ps. If you're an abstinent race car lover stranded in Montalcino, have a look at the program of the 2013 edition of Tuscan rewindinstead. The race cars will parade through Montalcino's historic town center on Saturday at 4.30 pm.